© Hunter Luxury
From wine and tea to chocolate and cosmetics, we take a look at an edited selection of the advent calendars that have hit the market this year, and the packaging suppliers behind them.
Maison Wineted’s advent calendar houses 12 French wines and 12 fine food items (Alain Ducasse chocolates or truffles from Maison Henras). Made by Siegwald, the coffret combines a pine box with a white FSC/ECF cardboard lid printed with vegetable-based inks. The cardboard drawers use four different colors of creative paper, with vegetable-based inks also used to print the numbers. The calendar is limited to 100 pieces, priced at €1,500.
The Charlotte Tilbury Diamond Chest of Beauty Stars 12 Day Calendar (Hunter Luxury) is wrapped in pearlized pink paper and decorated with silver diamond foiling. The drawers feature bespoke, removable crystal handles. Removable card fitments hold the make-up and skincare products in place.
Yves Saint Laurent’s (L’Oréal) black and gold advent calendar produced by Cosfibel is made from FSC certified cardboard. It features touches of gold hot-stamping and embossing.
French chocolatier Pierre Hermé worked with illustrator Octave Marsel and glassmaker Verrerie de Meisenthal for its limited-edition, Paris-themed advent calendar. The dark blue structure in the form of a circular crown is adorned with the artist’s illustrations. Chocolates are housed in drawers around its exterior. In the center sits an artisanal glass bauble produced by Verrerie de Meisenthal. It has ribbed facets and its golden hue is a nod to that of Parisian streetlights.
L’Oréal-owned Lancôme’s 2022 advent calendar is a collaboration with artist Richard Orlinski. Made by Cosfibel, the fold-out calendar revealing a Paris cityscape takes on a gold and white color scheme this year. Also new this year: the Eiffel Tower is removable and contains a gift, while instead of a ribbon, it features a cardboard closure. The monomaterial FSC cardboard calendar is embellished with multi-color hot stamping.
Ladurée’s advent calendar (Shopluxe) is monomaterial, made from card and cardboard. It consists of a rigid base with two doors and a ribbon closure. Each of the 24 boxes holding chocolate and confectionary is made from card. The calendar features two-color printing and gold hot-stamping.
British doctor-led skincare brand 111Skin opted for a wardrobe-style 12-day advent calendar with magnetic closures. The structure is designed to “recreate the experience of opening the doors of the brand’s Harley Street clinic,” supplier Hunter Luxury explains. A premium metal badge with debossed and inlaid logo features on the facing, designed with a recessed construction for a flush finish. Touches of gold foil and embossing feature on the calendar.
The Penhaligon’s cylindrical World of Wonder advent calendar (Knoll Printing & Packaging) in the shape of a fragrance flacon is made of FSC rigid board. It is wrapped in uncoated, printed FSC paper embellished with gold hot stamping. The red grosgrain ribbon on the neck of the coffret is removable.
MAC sought to elevate the consumer experience with its printed and embossed advent calendar (Knoll Printing & Packaging) that is designed to be spun. The box interior can be removed thanks to the ribbon handle so as to be kept and repurposed.
Flower purveyor Venus et Fleur teamed up with Maison du Chocolat for a limited-edition, 12-day advent calendar (Dapy). Inside are premium chocolates and six engraved brass ornaments displaying eternity roses. Made from 100% recycled FSC material, the calendar features a satin ribbon and gold hot-stamping.
For its advent calendar this year, Finnish chocolate brand Karl Fazer is replacing its previously used PE coated material with lightweight dispersion coated paperboard from papermaker Metsä Board. The move is said to reduce plastic use by 1,200kg per year. The calendar is offset printed, with gold hot-stamping on the text.
Made in the UK, tea brand Pukka’s advent calendar (Pusterla Pollards) combines FSC external board with internal cartons made from recycled cardboard. A PaperFoam fitment holds the teabags in place. The calendar is embellished with metallic Pantone lithoprinting and gold foil.
Clarins’ advent calendar (Pure Trade) in 2022 is a book-box style featuring 12 inner drawers. Made of 100% FSC cardboard and paper, it combines the brand’s iconic red with a white screenprinted logo and numbers.
French skincare and fragrance brand L'Occitane en Provence opted for an all-cardboard advent calendar (Verpack), nicknamed "Rubik's Cube" due to the way it opens. Presented as a cube when closed, it unfolds outward to reveal the 24 secret compartments. The cardboard structure is sheathed with printed paper, and each box is designed as a case inserted in the main structure. Both manual and automatic processes were used for the assembly.
